Better Late Than Never
by Atomic Kitten 30
Summary: AU story where Steve was found in the ice after the events of the first season of Agent Carter. Steve and Peggy are reunited, start a family, make SHIELD with Howard, and help Bucky regain his memories. Mostly Steve/Peggy and Bucky/Natasha with some Howard/Maria.
1. Chapter 1

I don't own any of the characters in the Marvel Universe.

Chapter 1

In spite of everyone telling him that it was useless, Howard was not going to stop until he found at least the body of Steve. Through his first set of searches he found the Tesseract, but not Steve. He had nearly given up, but the recent experiences with that crazy Russian hypnotist, his desire to find Steve had been renewed. He could count on one hand how many friends he had in his life which included both Steve and Peggy, he wanted to make them happy reuniting them or at least give Peggy closure.

At this point Howard was using every resource that he could to find Steve in the Arctic Circle. He decided to once again start his search around the area where he found the Tesseract, in fact it looked like the Tesseract was able to help him update his equipment much like how Hydra was able to and he felt that he would have better luck now. Peggy and her really cute friend, Maria Angela Martinelli or Angie as she liked to call herself were staying at one of his many homes in New York. Edwin Jarvis, Howard's butler and another one of his few close friends was staying behind to make sure that Peggy and Angie were living in the lap of luxury. He also wanted Jarvis to stay behind so he could make sure Peggy didn't get suspicious about his mysterious trip. Hopefully Howard would soon make his life a lot better.

Howard was at this point was looking at the radar and something caught his interest that he never would have been able to find on the old radar. Howard then decided to call over the captain that he hired to help him lead the mission. "I think that we should check out this area," said Howard as he lightly tapped the radar.

"It may be nothing but an iceberg, but we can look there since you are the one paying us," said the captain. Howard didn't care if this guy thought that he was crazy, he was the richest guy on earth right now. Many women wanted him and many men wanted to be him. Besides his instincts were telling him that this was the place to look.

When they got closer, they could see nothing but an iceberg like the captain had predicted. They wanted to leave, but Howard insisted on cutting into the ice in case there was something inside of it. Howard and the rest of the crew bundled up and went out onto the ice. Each person was armed with a laser device that Howard recently created to cut into the ice. After a while one of the men said that he was starting to cut through something made of metal. Howard them gave the captain a smirk knowing that he was right to search this area.

After they were able to cut a large enough hole in the metal, Howard along with the most of the men here were lowered into the hole while only being with a flashlight and one each handgun each.

It didn't take long for Howard to realize that this ice covered plane belonged to Hydra. "Sir, I found something that may interest you," said one of the men who pointed his flashlight at the ice covered shield of Captain America that was used during the world.

"Alright, Captain America may be on this plane, look everywhere and you get that shield out of the ice," said Howard. After reaching the back of the plane they were to find Steve in a block of ice. The ice that had preserved him had left him perfectly preserved. In fact it made him kind of think of Snow White in the glass coffin from the Disney movie that Steve loved so much.

"We need to get him out of here, he may still be alive," said Howard.

* * *

Steve slowly opened his eyes and saw that Howard was sitting on the edge of his bed.

"Where am I," asked in a slightly rusty voice that probably came from not being used for a while.

"You are at one of the many SSR medical facilities in New York. I found you in the Arctic Circle, you have been asleep for a little over a year, it is believed that the super soldier serum was what kept you alive. I wonder what else that serum has done to you since all of the tests done to you so far say that you are still physically the age you were when you went into that machine that made you a super soldier," said Howard excitedly like he did when he found a new scientific discovery.

"How is Peggy, is she still working at the SSR and has she moved on to a new guy," asked Steve frantically while he was still clearing out his throat. While he wanted Peggy to be happy, it would still be very painful for him. If Peggy loved another man, it would slowly kill him, but he would step aside and let her be with this mystery man even if it was Howard himself.

"Peg is still working for the SSR even though they don't deserve her. As for romance, she is not seeing anyone. It looks like two SSR agents named Jack Thompson and Daniel Sousa seem to show romantic interest in her, but it is obvious Peg still only has eyes for you. Sousa seems like a nice guy, but Thompson is quite a jerk," said Howard. Hearing that Peggy still loved him, lifted Steve's spirits quite a bit. But he also noticed that Howard seemed to have a low opinion about the men that wanted to be with Peggy and wondered why.

"I need to see Peggy now," said Steve as he tried to get out of the bed.

"Hold on, you will have more than enough time for that. In spite of the fact that you have been asleep for over a year, you still need to rest," said Howard who had placed his hand on Steve's chest. Steve hated to admit it, but Howard was right, he was still quite tired.

"I want the meeting to be a surprise, I want to take her dancing like I promised at the Stork Club," said Steve as he yawned.

"Of course, I want everything perfect for you lovebirds," said Howard right before Steve closed his eyes and had dreams about his reunion with Peggy.

* * *

Peggy walked on the Brooklyn Bridge and she had to admit that there was something very beautiful about it. It was even more impressive was the fact that Steve grew up with it and probably got to see this sight almost every day. But the thought of Steve made tears sting her eyes. Steve is dead and there is nothing that will change that, thought Peggy.

Once she made it to the edge of the bridge, she pulled out a small vile that held Steve's blood. One of her new friend Edwin Jarvis gave it to her while Howard on some mysterious vacation and even made Howard think that it was lost because he felt Peggy knew what was the best thing to do with it. At this point she felt that the best opinion was to drop the blood into the water so no one could profit off of it.

Before Peggy could remove the top of it, she saw Angie running over to her. Without thinking, Peggy put the vial back into the pocket of her jacket. "Hey Peggy, I was looking everywhere for you," said Angie.

"What is it," asked Peggy with a sad smile at her dearest friend.

"It looks like Howard is back from that mystery vacation and he told me that he wants to celebrate his freedom by having a night out dancing, he even wanted to tell me that he has a date for you," said Angie.

"That sounds like it would be lovely, but I think that I will have to pass," said Peggy.

"Howard knew that you would say this, so he made it my job to bother you until you changed your mind. You have been through a lot, you need a night off," said Angie. Peggy actually laughed a little since she knew Howard would say something like that.

"When you put it that way, it would be hard to refuse," said Peggy. She had been mourning Steve for a little over a year, maybe it was time for her to move on. She also felt that no matter what Steve works want her happy even if it was with another man.

"Perfect, we can go shopping for new dresses for us to wear, Howard is letting us use his money," said Angie as she grabbed Peggy's and they walked off. Peggy was so caught up in Angie's planning that she forgot why she was even there in the first place.

Author's Note: In the next chapter Peggy finds out who her mystery date is and her reaction is the kind you would expect. Also don't worry there is a reason why Peggy forgot to drop the vial of blood into the water. Also I will try to have Bucky and Natasha here soon even if it makes it so Natasha was born a lot sooner than she was in the MCU.


	2. Chapter 2

I don't own any of the characters of the Marvel Universe.

Author's Note: The dress that Peggy is wearing in this chapter is the same one that she wore during the vision that Steve had during The Age of Ultron.

Chapter 2

Peggy pressed her forehead against the window as Jarvis drove the limousine while her fingers messed with the edge of her blue dress that was bought for her date. Along with Angie that was convinced to come along to be the date the of Howard wore a rose pink dress. There was also a very friendly woman with red hair while wearing a green dress, she was Ana Jarivs the wife of Edwin Jarvis. Peggy had heard about Ana, but never met her until tonight so she wondered what kind of woman would capture the heart of her friend. Now she found Ana to be very likable, also while watching Jarvis and Ana together, it was obvious that they loved each other very much.

"Peggy, what's wrong, I think that this date will be good for you especially since what you had to go through recently," asked Angie as she reached over and touched Peggy's hand which made it stop messing with the edge of her skirt.

"It had been just a little over a year since my boyfriend died during the war, I miss him very much and I don't know if I am ready for this date and I only agreed to go tonight because I felt obligated to Howard to give me a home," said Peggy softly.

"What is he like, is he cute, and when did you meet him," asked Ana with a great amount of curiosity in her voice.

"I met him during the war, he was an artist, but he became a soldier to protect people and he felt that it was wrong to run away from a fight. He had a gentle soul, but at the same time he had a righteous fury that made his enemies tremble in fear. He was very intelligent, but charmingly naive, at one point he thought fondue was a term for sex. He was physically handsome, but I would have loved him even if he was plain or ugly," says Peggy. She had to admit that she was very surprised at the passionate feelings that Steve inspired in her, but everything she said was true even about finding him handsome no matter what, she even found him handsome when he was the small sickly man.

"Now I understand why you seem so reluctant to date anyone else when you had a guy like that, even a sweetheart like Sousa," said Angie.

Once the limousine was parked, her widened when she saw that sign read Stork Club. Right before Steve went into the ice she had said that she would dance with him at the Stork Club, it was to keep his fears from getting to him and so he could remain calm before he had to give up his life. Why here of all places, thought Peggy as she stumbled out of the car while tears stung her eyes.

Jarvis quietly told Ana and Angie to go inside to meet Howard and Peggy's date before he turned his attention to Peggy. "Miss Carter, what is wrong, you seem very devastated," said Jarvis softly as he placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Before Steve went into the ice, I said that I would go dancing with him here. I thought that I could get over Steve dying, but I can't it is too soon, I still even have nightmares about this day," said Peggy as soon as she lets her tears fall.

"I agree, this is too soon, but I am sure that Howard felt that this date would make you happy even if he didn't think about this and asking you where you would like to go," said Jarvis.

"I don't blame Howard, he didn't know, I didn't want to tell even about this," said Peggy and Jarvis just responded by giving her an handkerchief.

"I can take you home if you want me to," said Jarvis.

Before Peggy could respond, she heard someone approaching them. At first she thought that it was either Angie or Ana, but from what it sounded like, the person walking towards them was taking long and confident strides along with seeming more masculine than either woman did. She quickly turned towards this man for interrupting this conversation, but her only response was to place her hands over her mouth.

Standing there was Steve in his brown military suit. "I am sorry that I am late, but I hope a dance at the Stork Club makes up for it," said Steve.

"Steve," was all Peggy could say before she tearfully threw her arms around him and kissed him on the lips. Steve started to return the kiss as he ran his fingers through her hair. When they pulled apart, they noticed that Jarvis had left so they could have some time alone.

"I am so happy that you are alive, but how is this possible," said Peggy as she traced his facial features with the tips of her fingers.

"Howard had decided to continue his search for me, it turns out that that the super soldier serum was what kept me alive in the ice," said Steve as he leaned closer to her. Peggy smiled at Howard went to many great lengths to find Steve for her again. She would probably try to find him again that night and thank him.

"Let me touch up my make up after crying so much so we can go inside and dance like you promised that we should," said Peggy.

"Of course," said Steve as he waited patiently for her.

* * *

When Peggy was done with touching up her make up, Steve took her arm and led her into the Stork Club while feeling impressed at how she was able to make herself look more composed than she was earlier so quickly. Because of the delicate frame and health he had before he became a super soldier, he never thought that he would ever find a lady willing to be his dance partner. Now he was about to dance with the prettiest gal in the world. He didn't have to worry about loving him only for his muscles, he could tell that she was falling in love with him even when he was the skinny asthmatic guy he once was.

Once inside, Steve led her to the dance floor. He noticed that many people were staring at him and a couple people even commented on how he looked a lot like Captain America. "I wonder how they will react when they find out that you really are Captain America," said Peggy quietly.

"Hopefully they will find out later, Howard wanted to announce it here tonight, but I convinced him to have a press conference tomorrow so I can dedicate tonight to you," said Steve.

"That is very kind of him since he loves to show off his accomplishments, it must be literally killing him," said Peggy with a playful smirk that made Steve's heart melt.

"Usually I would worry about his safety, but you must forgive me for being a little selfish tonight," said Steve giving Peggy a very charming smile.

Howard slowly made his way to the band playing music and said something. After that, the band started to play a slower song. "I don't want to accidentally step on your feet," said Steve shyly. Peggy smiled at him and showed him where to place his hands. After that, they slowly started to dance.

Steve had a look of concentration on his face and looked down at their feet. "Don't worry Steve, you are doing great, are you never sure that you never danced, you are quite natural at it," said Steve with a smile.

"I would never lie to you, I am Captain America," said Steve which most of them laugh. During the dance, Steve leaned down and softly kissed her on the lips not caring that other people saw them doing this. Peggy smiled after they pulled away and felt tonight was perfect in every way and for the first time in a while, she was eager for the future.

* * *

Natasha trembled as she was being led down the hallways of the military building. Her parents were executed after being wrongly accused of being traitors and it was decided that their teenaged daughter would be handed over to Russia's new allies, Hydra. The first thing they did to her was strap her to a medical table and injected her with something that caused her great pain. After that, she was being led down the hallways to another room.

She noticed that her senses and strength were starting to become enhanced, but she didn't know if she could do anything since the guards had their guns trained on her. Once they were in front of a door, the door was opened and she was shoved into the room before the guards followed her in.

The room was a very bare bed room with a cryo freeze tube in there too that was leaning against one of the walls. She walked up to the tube and looked inside of it. Inside of it was a man that she had to admit that he was quite handsome. But she also noticed that he looked like he was in pain. Did they bring me here just so I can look at this frozen man before they kill me, thought Natasha.

"This man is the Winter Soldier, he is the new face of Hydra, he will train to be an assassin so you can work alongside him and you will also make sure that he stays loyal to our cause," said one of the guards.

"How do I do that," asked Natasha.

"That is up to you, but be careful when he is out of the ice, he attacks anyone he doesn't like that gets too close to him," said the same guard.

"Have a nice rest, tomorrow he will be defrosted and your training will begin," said another guard before they left the room and locked the door.

Once she was alone, she started to bang her hands on the door until her knuckles were bloody and there were small dents on the door. After she gave up, she leaned against the door and looked at the cryo freeze tube in fear. She knew that it was impossible, but she had a fear that the Winter Soldier would come out of it and strangle her. She didn't know if she could believe in any religion, but for the first time in her life she prayed that she would get out of this alive.

Author's Note: Before people asking questions, yes Natasha did become a sort of super soldier, but not as strong as either Captain America or the Winter Soldier. Also if you are wondering if Peggy will become a super soldier, you will have to read on to find out.


	3. Chapter 3

I don't own any of the characters in the Marvel Universe.

Chapter 3

After dancing and having a nice dinner, Steve and Peggy decided to sneak away and make their way back to Howard's manor. When Steve took her hand, she smiled up at him. Even after spending the night with him, she feared that she would wake up and realize that it was all just a dream. If this is just a dream, I never want it to end, thought Peggy as Steve helped her into the taxi that he had called. When she beckoned for her to follow him, he gained a cute blush in his cheeks as he followed her.

When they got out of the taxi and payed the driver, they made their way inside the manor. Steve then willingly let Peggy press him against the wall as they started to passionately kiss each other. While they were in the midst of kissing each other they started to run their hands over their bodies. Peggy knew that this night would end in her bed and it excited her.

"Marry me," moaned Peggy softly. After she realized what she had said, she looked down and blushed. She didn't know why, but she feared offending him since it was usually the man who proposed to the woman, not the other way around.

Steve them put his fingers under her chin and made her look up. Instead of looking mad or offended, he was smiling. "Peggy, I was planning on proposing to you tonight because I want to spend my life with you, but I love that you take this sort of initiative. I fell in love with you because you are so strong and independent," said Steve before he kissed her.

When they pulled away, Peggy smirked as she knelt and took his hand. "Steven Grant Rogers, will you marry me," said Peggy before she kissed his hand.

"Yes, I will marry you," said Steve as he helped her up. Steve then pulled a ring box out of his pocket and when she opened it up there was a ring that had a diamond on it, considering it was a simple and old fashioned ring, she guessed that it was the engagement ring that his mother had. She then put the ring on her finger and held her hand out to Steve.

"It is beautiful," said Peggy truthfully as Steve took her hand. Peggy then led Steve up the stairs to the room that she was staying in. They started to kiss again, but this time they started to remove their clothes. When they were down to their underwear, Steve paused.

"Are you sure that you want to do this, if you are not ready we can wait until the wedding night," said Steve.

As a response Peggy placed her hand on Steve's chest. Under the palm of her hand and the thin material of the the undershirt she could feel his heart beat. "Steve, I love you very much. I want to be your wife and I want to do this tonight," said Peggy. After they got of their underwear, Peggy led Steve to the bed and they spent most of the night making love to each other.

* * *

Howard Stark could hear the sounds of soft moaning and the creaking of the bed when he came home with the other guests of the party. He guessed that when Steve and Peggy had secretly left, Steve was putting his plan to propose to her in action. He could also guess from the sounds that the proposal was a success. But that wasn't going to stop him from jokingly asking him how did he like his first taste of "fondue."

While Howard was shrugging out of the coat, he noticed that Peggy had left her coat lying on the ground. After putting his coat on the coat rack, he knelt down to pick it up, he noticed something sticking out of the pocket. He reached over and pulled out the vial of Steve's blood.

I thought that I had lost this, how did Peggy get this, thought Howard. He then correctly guessed that Jarvis had found a way to take it from him and give it to Peggy. At first Howard thought that he was going to be angry at them, but he could only understand why they did this. Howard was wanting to profit off of the blood that had willingly given to his country to help it. It took awhile to realize that he deserved being hit by Peggy when she found out. He rarely admitted his mistakes and this was one of them.

But now he saw a chance to make things up to Peggy and Steve through this vial of blood. Since Steve was a super soldier, he would have a very long life and he would never age. The same couldn't be said for Peggy who would age like a normal human for now. But now there was a chance that he could help Peggy get that long life and youth that Steve had. Howard then ran to his lab to start his work while hoping that he could finish it in time for the wedding.

* * *

When they were done, Steve held Peggy in his arms while they discussed their future together. They both agreed that Peggy would continue her work at the SSR until something better came along for her. Steve also wanted to continue his work as Captain America in some way or another.

"Where should we have our wedding," asked Steve.

"It will probably have to be in England, my parents would never forgive me if it was anywhere else," said Peggy with a smile.

"England it is," said Steve.

All of this talk of weddings made Steve think of Bucky. Ever since they were kids, Steve and Bucky had agreed to be the best man at the other person's wedding. With Bucky dead, Steve couldn't have Bucky be his best man. He would probably ask Howard, but it wouldn't be the same.

"What's wrong my darling," asked Peggy.

"It's nothing, I was just thinking about," said Steve. Ever since it happened, Steve blamed himself for Bucky's death. Peggy just responded by placing her hand on Steve's cheek and he leaned into the hand.

"Steve, no matter what you believe, it wasn't your fault and Bucky would never want you to feel this way," said Peggy. Steve was impressed at how she could guess what thoughts Steve had about Bucky.

"Thank you, I will try to think that way more often," said Steve as he hugged Peggy and started fall asleep.

* * *

Natasha kept her eyes on the cryo freeze tube as a pair of guards started to defrost the Winter Soldier. Even with her enhanced strength, she couldn't break the handcuffs they had put of and they were only able to put them on her because another pair of guards had their guns pointed at her. What are these made of, thought Natasha.

When Natasha saw that the Winter Soldier was defrosted and out of the tube, she blushed when she saw that the Winter Soldier was nude. She also flinched when she saw that he must have lost his left arm since the one he had was made out of metal. One of his guards then handed him a set of black training clothes a lot like the ones that she had on except it had the left sleeve cut off to most likely make training and movement easy for him.

When the Winter Soldier saw Natasha, he turned his attention to her. He watched her with interest in his eyes. After that he reached forward with his hand made of flesh and touched her cheek. She then leaned into the hand which made him watch her with more interest. She blushed when the Winter Soldier leaned forward and kisses her softly on the lips.

"He likes you," said one of the guards with a smirk on his lips. She could guess that part of keeping the Winter Soldier loyal was to seduce him. She was sickened by that thought, but she had to admit that if it hadn't been for the fact that she was being forced into this, she would probably end up liking the Winter Soldier and find him very cute.

When the Winter Soldier pulled away, the guards shoved the same type of handcuffs on the Winter Soldier that Natasha had on. Both Natasha and the Winter Soldier were then led out of the room and taken to a training room.


	4. Chapter 4

I don't own any of the characters from the Marvel Universe.

Chapter 4

After the training session, Natasha looked over at the Winter Soldier. Not only was he very good looking, she had to admit that he was a very good fighter. But at the same time she wanted to learn more about him, not as a fighter, but as a person. "So what is your name and why did you end up with Hydra and the Soviet Union," said Natasha as she walked over to him. She made sure to speak in English which was one of the many languages her parents taught her since the guards didn't know English.

"I don't know, my first memories are of this place and seeing you. Everything else seems to be gone or a blur," said the Winter Soldier who was also speaking in English. Natasha had to guess from his accent that he had to be from America, probably somewhere in the North East.

Hearing this made Natasha feel bad for the Winter Soldier. She wondered what it was like to have no memories of who you were or the life you had before this. She wondered if this man had family that was mourning him because they thought that he was dead. She also feared that one day her captors would do the same thing to her.

"Well there is one thing that I think that I may remember, just don't tell the guards, they will try to take away my memories if they knew," said the Winter Soldier as he sat on the ground.

"I promise that I won't tell them," said Natasha as she knelt next to him.

"There is a man with blonde hair and blue eyes. I think that I cared about him very much, I think he was my best friend and like a little brother to me," said the Winter Soldier.

"Do you think that if we find this man he could help you regain your memories and your life," asked Natasha quietly so no one else could hear what she was saying even though most of the people there wouldn't understand her since she was speaking in English.

"Yes, I don't want to be this anymore and I think that this man could help you too, he seems very kind," said the Winter Soldier.

"We just have to pretend to be loyal soldiers and once we get a chance to go out onto the field, we run and try to find this man," said Natasha who wanted a chance for freedom.

"I get the feeling that I have always loved women with red hair the most and your cunning nature has showed me why," said the Winter Soldier which made Natasha smile.

* * *

Peggy was shuffling through files at the SSR office while everyone was preparing for the very important and very secret announcements that were to be made later on today. She knew that one if them was the announcement of the return of Steve Rogers as Captain America, but she wondered what the other one was. Peggy looked up and smiled when she saw Daniel Sousa walk over to her. Even though Daniel seemed to have devolved some form of romantic feelings for her much to Howard's annoyance since he saw Peggy as Steve's girl, she saw him as a good friend.

"Peggy, I wanted to tell you before the announcement was made that I was offered the position of chief of the office of California and I accepted," said Daniel.

"That is wonderful news, you deserve to have something good happen to you," said Peggy. She hoped that the good things involved finding someone to love him. Peggy felt that if Steve had never been found or was really dead, there may have been a chance for her and Daniel to be something more. But since Howard found Steve who was alive, a future with Daniel was now impossible.

"I will miss you a lot," said Daniel.

"I will miss you too, you are a good friend to me and who knows, I may have to go to California for a mission," said Peggy.

Before Daniel could give a response, Jack Thompson strode over to Peggy looking annoyed. "Carter, there is some guy here claiming to be your fiancé and won't leave until you see him," said Jack. Peggy looked up at the clock and saw that it was close to lunch. Steve had said that he had wanted to take her out to lunch before the announcement about him was made. She felt annoyance at the fact that Jack blurted this out before she could break this to Daniel gently.

"You have a fiancé," said Daniel who sounded very confused and a little hurt.

"Yes, I had fallen in love with a soldier during the war and I thought that he had died. Last night I was reunited with him when he proved that he was really alive and since I had almost lost him, we decided to get married," said Peggy.

"I have to say that I don't know whether to punch the bastard or to shake his hand because he got the usually frigid Carter to marry him, I guess you are also going to quit so you can focus on being a housewife," said Jack.

"I don't care what you say about me, I refuse to let you insult Peggy like that. As for work, she is going to continue working and be a wife and mother, my ma was able to do the same and I know that Peggy can too," said Steve who walked into the room since he was probably impatient waiting for Peggy and annoyed with Jack.

"I told you to wait up front until I came for you," snapped Jack.

"I got impatient, a bad habit of mine," said Steve as he walked over to Peggy.

"There is something familiar about you, have we met before," asked Daniel.

"May I introduce my fiancé, Captain Steven Grant Rogers or you may know him as Captain America," said Peggy proudly.

"That is what I thought, you saved my life during the war, it is because of you that I only lost a leg," said Daniel as he shook his hand forgetting that this was the man who was going to marry the woman he had feelings for.

"It is an honor to meet a fellow soldier especially one who made such a sacrifice," said Steve with a genuine smile.

"Wait, I thought that Captain America was propaganda to sell war bonds and boost morale," said Jack, like many soldiers who fought in Japan, Jack questioned the validity of Captain America.

"I can assure you that Steve as Captain America played a big part in ending the war and bringing down Hydra. Besides, I find it odd that you question Captain America when you recently met the Howling Commandos who fought under Captain America," said Peggy which left Jack speechless.

"Come on Peggy, we need to get lunch before the announcement is made," said Steve before he took her hand and left.

* * *

After Peggy and Steve had their lunch, they had to go back for the announcement. Steve wasn't very fond of these public events, but he was told that it had to happen to prove that he was really back and ready to fight the bad guys again. Once Steve made it back, they had him dressed in the military Captain America uniform he wore during the war. Once Steve made it to the event, he waited until the announcement about Sousa was made and started to make his was to the platform to meet Howard Stark.

"Ladies and gentlemen, towards the end of the war, we thought that Captain America had sacrificed his life for the world. But I didn't give up on him and I am pleased to announce that I have found him in the ice alive. He is back and he is ready to defend our country," said Howard which made many people cheer.

After that, Steve answered questions from the crowd and the press. At one point he removed his helmet to prove that he was really Steve Rogers and not a man who was pretending to be him. Steve looked at the audience and smiled when he saw Peggy in the front cheering for him.

Once the event was over, Steve strode over to Peggy and kissed her on the lips. While life wasn't perfect right now since Bucky was dead, he still had to be happy to be back and have Peggy by his side.


	5. Chapter 5

I don't own any of the characters in the Marvel Universe.

Chapter 5

The Winter Soldier watched the woman that called herself Natasha as was using the fighting moves that she already knew before he met her. She had raw talent, but at this point it was unrefined. The Winter Soldier knew that with the right training she would be the perfect assassin. But the Winter Soldier didn't want the people that controlled him to control her too because he had already grown to care for her.

He didn't know why, but when the Winter Soldier first saw Natasha for the first time, he felt like he could trust her. He knew that he could tell her anything and he could trust her to not tell their captives. Just like him, she was a fighter and craved freedom.

He also found her quite beautiful too. He knew that looks were not always a good measure over who was a good person or a bad person, but he couldn't help being automatically drawn to her. He especially liked her red hair. Something told him that he always like women with red hair the most. It made him think about when he remembered that the name Steve was quite important to him. He knew that it was not his own name, but that it was something very important to the man that he was supposed to be.

He was going to train Natasha so he could get her help in escaping their captives so they could find his past. He hoped that he could find this man that held the name Steve and learn more about his past and who he really was.

Natasha then walked over to the Winter Soldier with a smile in her lips. The Winter Soldier found that smile to be quite beautiful and he hoped to see it more often. "How was that," asked Natasha.

"You have raw talent, just think of what kind of fighter and assassin you can become with proper training," said the Winter Soldier. Natasha looked quite pleased with this response and led him to the center of the room so their training could begin.

* * *

Angie walked through the manor that she was allowed to stay in with Peggy and Steve hoping to find Howard. Howard hadn't been to this place often because he had been trying to find Steve and since he allowed Peggy and Angie to live there since they had been thrown out of their old home, Angie wanted to thank him for this kindness. Also though she would never admit this to Peggy, she found Howard to be quite handsome. She the heard loud sounds coming from the basement that Jarvis said held one of the many labs that Howard created. She walked closer and saw that the door was open a little bit, so she opened it and walked down the stairs.

As Angie was walking down the stairs, she started to hear Howard mutter along with the loud noises. Howard had his back to Angie, but she could tell that he was very busy with something and had a lot on her mind. "Excuse me," said Angie very loudly so Howard could hear her.

Howard stumbled a little at hearing this, but quickly turned off the machines that were making the loud noises before turning to face her. In one of his hands was vial filled with some sort of red substance. Is that blood, thought Angie worried about what Howard was planning on doing with it.

"You are Peggy's friend, I forgot your name. What are you doing here," asked Howard who seemed confused that someone was down here.

"My name is Maria, but most people call me Angie because my middle name is Angela, also my mother's name is also Maria. I came down here to thank you for letting me and Peggy stay here. Also what are you doing down here," asked Angie.

"I think the name is quite pretty. I guess that I could tell you if you promise to not tell Peggy or Steve," said Howard.

"Alright, I promise," said Angie with hesitation because she got the feeling that Howard's definition of dangerous was a lot different than most people's definition of dangerous. She also hope Howard didn't notice that she was blushing because of the compliment about her name.

"When Steve became a super soldier, his body stopped aging and I get the feeling that it will be a very long time before he ages, if his body ever ages beyond what it is now. Peggy will continue to age like a normal person unless I do something about it," said Howard.

"How will you do that," asked Angie.

"This vial I have contains the only sample of Steve's blood after he became a super soldier. I believe that I can make some sort of serum to keep Peggy from aging with the help of this sample of blood. I don't want Steve and Peggy to know right now just in case this doesn't work," said Howard.

Angie was impressed when she heard this. While many people talked about Howard being a genius, a smart business man, arrogant, and a ladies man. But Angie had never heard about him being a good man and friend too, seeing that he was, it made Angie more attracted to him.

* * *

Peggy sighed in annoyance as she was talking to her mother on the phone. At this point her mother was talking about Peggy's former fiancé, Fred Wells. At one point Peggy thought that she loved Fred, but when her brother died, Peggy's priorities had changed and she started to see that Fred was quite foolish and cowardly. Steve was Fred's opposite in every single way which was one of the many reasons why she loved him so much. She also knew that Steve would have liked Steve a lot too.

"Did you know that Fred has a new fiancé, some silly young woman named Anne. It is such a shame that things between you and Fred didn't work, he is a good man and the two of you made a good pair," said her mother over the phone. Peggy and her mother could never agree on if Fred was a good man or not, but Peggy would never say that to her.

"I am glad that Fred found a person who will probably make him happy in ways I never could," said Peggy feeling like she could gag on those words, but said them because she didn't want to argue about Fred. "But that is not why I called. I have met a man, I fell in love with him and we are getting married."

Peggy knew that this would get her mother off of the subject of Fred. "You are getting married, why have I never met this mystery man. He also should have asked your father for permission to marry you," said her mother.

"Mother, since you know that grandmother was a suffragette, because of his mother's influence father found such old fashion traditions to be silly," said Peggy.

Since Peggy's mother was more traditional than Peggy and her father, she would do anything to change the subject when their beliefs were brought up. To change the subject, her mother started to many questions about the man that Peggy wanted to marry. Peggy sighed and started to answer the questions. She also had to assure her mother that she would get married in England.

When Peggy hung up the phone, Steve walked into the room. "You look quite stressed," said Steve as he hugged Peggy.

"I love my mother, but she can be quite trying. You will see what I mean when you meet her," said Peggy before she kissed Steve. Being around Steve always made Peggy feel better.


	6. Chapter 6

I don't own any of the characters in the Marvel Universe.

Chapter 6

After many weeks of planning, Peggy and Steve were ready for their trip to England for their wedding. Even though Steve was worried about meeting Peggy's family in case they ended up disliking him, he was still excited about the wedding and wanted to spend his life with the woman he loved so much. While Bucky would have been his first choice for best, Steve had thankfully become very good friends with Howard and he decided that he would be a very good best man. Howard was also willing to help pay for Angie, who was Peggy's maid of honor, Bucky's family, and Edwin Jarvis along with his dear wife so they could come to England and enjoy the wedding.

Because of how kind Howard was being, Steve was very surprised and confused when Howard told him to meet him down in his lab so he could give them a wedding gift. He has already done so much for us, he doesn't have give us more, thought Steve in a confused manner.

"I wonder what Howard wanted to give us that couldn't wait," said Peggy as she was looking around the lab.

"I don't know, I told him that he didn't have to do this, but he insisted," said Steve as he walked over to her and kissed her hand.

"Trust me, you will thank me when you receive this gift," said Howard as he walked down the stairs to his lab.

"What is this present," asked Peggy who sounded curious. Steve had to admit that he was a bit curious now too.

"I don't know if you noticed that the vial of Steve's blood you had in your coat was missing," said Howard which caused Peggy to clench her fists and a look of anger cross her face. It looked as if Peggy was ready to punch Howard if she was given the chance to.

"Why do you have a vial of my blood, why would the SSR let you have it," asked Steve who was confused about this.

"He wants to use it to make a profit, I was going to get rid of, but I got distracted when I tried to do it," said Peggy in a strained tone of voice.

"Why would you do that, I thought that I could trust you now," said Steve who sounded hurt.

"I did want to make a profit at first and that is not a proud moment in my life, but I promise that this is not what I am doing this time," said Howard as if he was begging for them to listen.

"What is it now," asked Steve who sounded optimistically cautious while Peggy still seemed tense.

"After you became a super soldier, your aging slowed down so much that it pretty much stopped. Peggy is still aging like a normal human, if things stay the way that they are now, when Peggy will die of old age, Steve will still look like this. But I am going to change that," said Howard.

"How are you going to do that," asked Peggy who no longer sounded angry. Steve started to feel depressed about the thought of having to watch Peggy grow old and die while he still stayed physically young and healthy.

"I was able to study the sample of blood and I was able to recreate the super soldier serum. It will give Peggy slowed aging, an amazing immune system, and super soldier strength. The only thing that will stay the same will be her physical appearance," said Howard as he pulled out a vial of the super soldier serum.

"When can this be done," asked Peggy.

"Right now," said said Howard.

"Good, tell me what to do," said Peggy.

"You don't have to do this Peggy, I will love you no matter what," said Steve. While he would have liked the idea of Peggy being a super soldier, he didn't want her to suffer the pain that he had to go through.

"I know, but I want to do this for both you and me," said Peggy with a smile before she kissed Steve on the lips. Steve smiled and nodded in agreement, like him, Peggy was very stubborn which was why he loved her.

Howard then told Peggy to lay on the lab table and he rolled up one of her sleeves. Since her appearance didn't have to change, she only had to have it injected into her arm. When the serum was injected into her arm, Peggy's eyes widened as she started to scream.

* * *

Peggy had never been on fire, but she had a feeling that this was what it would feel like. She also gained a lot more respect for Steve for having to go through this when his health was worse than her health. She told herself that she had to be brave, but it still hurt a lot. She then felt a pair of muscular arms embrace her that made her feel safe. She knew that the arms belonged to Steve when she heard him speak comforting words. After that while Peggy was still in pain, she felt comfort from the man she loved so much.

It didn't take long for the pain to fade away and she started to feel amazing. Everything looked brighter and a lot clearer than it did before. She looked up and Steve looked a lot more handsome than he ever did before. "I feel so wonderful," said Peggy with a smile as she reached up and touched his cheek which made Steve give him a dazzling smile.


End file.
